The Best Things In Life Are Free...

But when it comes to Christmas presents, I would much rather just spend a little money and get it over with.

This year my mom thought she would do us girls a favor by asking for a supposedly simple gift.  All she wanted was a video of us performing "All The Single Ladies" by Beyonce.  Easy enough right?

WRONG!

After watching the original five or six times, we thought we had it all figured out.  However, as soon as we started putting things together, we realized we were in WAY over our heads.  You sort of have to be able to dance in the first place to pull off "All The Single Ladies", something a six foot tall white girl, like myself, simply cannot do.

Yet, on Christmas Adam (what my sisters call the day before Christmas Eve) we realized we had to give my mom SOMETHING or else Christmas morning was going to be pretty pathetic.  We therefore took a mosaic approach, learning all the easy dance moves and then piecing them together into a glorious montage.

Please, treat yourself to this Christmas treasure.  And yes, all of us Gibb girls are, in fact, single...  Just saying...

CHECK IT OUT

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

Over one year ago, I bought a book: a book that was going to change my life forever, or so I thought; a book that was going to make me the Kristen I'd always dreamed of, or so I hoped; a book that would only take six weeks to complete, or so it said.  Behold: THE BOOK!

This book taught me a few valuable lessons.  

1.  Do not judge a book by it's title.  Even though it says six weeks, it may very well take you six years to complete this dang Countdown.  Throughout the past year, I found myself slipping into the all too familiar "Pride Cycle".  I can't even count how many times I'd start, make it to around week three, start seeing some results, feel pretty hot, and then BAM! - "Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity..."  Okay, I wouldn't exactly fall into iniquity, but I'd definitely rationalize missing a workout, or two , or three, to "eat, drink, and be merry".  Then two weeks later I'd come to the sad realization that a fourteen day sabbatical is too long and I'd start all over again.  What a vicious, vicious cycle.  I'm proud to say I have the first three weeks of workouts memorized because of this.

2.  Me Like Pilates.  Pilates is a beautiful, beautiful thing.  Try it.  Although it makes your abs feel like they're being electrocuted, you'll feel so proud when you can do this...

...haha, or at least I did.

3.  Seriously, Just Do It.  Exactly six weeks ago while cleaning my room, this book stared up at me and then started laughing in my face.  And it made me really angry.  So I decided right then and there to do something about it.  The solution was to quit telling myself lies.  "I don't have any time" - what a big, fat lie!  "It's too hard" - another huge lie!  I knew this wasn't the truth, but the truth hurts.  Like literally!  Waking up at 5:30 to workout is down right painful.  But I did it.  And that's the way it goes, sometimes there really is no easy way around something and you seriously just have to do it.

Okay, I know this doesn't relate, but I thought it was funny.

4.  Be Flexible!  Yes, it's nice to be able to touch your toes, but I mean flexibility in the sense that if you literally do not have a spare hour to workout one day it's perfectly fine to give and take.  No, I did not finish this book in the exact order it is laid out.  No, I did not workout every single day it specified to.  No, I did not do the exact number of reps it told me to do on the things I really hated, or just plum couldn't do.  But YES, I did each and every work out and I feel GREAT.  Do not expect perfection.  A big reason I kept having to start over again was because I wanted to complete it perfectly.  What a great way to set myself up for failure!  I can now testify that flexibility eliminates failure, so give yourself some room to breath, it's best to do things at your own speed.

5.  The Saying is TRUE!  I've always wondered if the saying "It takes 3 weeks to make a habit" is really true.  Well, I think it is.  No, it didn't get easier to wake up really early, but I had definitely accepted the fact that I was going to working out, and that made a huge difference.  True, all my previous attempts lasted to around week three, but the difference this time was that I didn't allow myself to justify a celebratory break, causing a break in the habit.  Stick to it and soon enough it will stick to you!


Now, having said all this, I'd like to extend a DARE.  No, this is not a challenge or some kind of piece of homework for reading Kristen Gibb's blog, this is a DARE.  With the blessed New Year fast approaching, I DARE YOU to do something you've been meaning to for a long time now.  Quit telling yourself those silly lies and just do it.  You'll thank yourself later, trust me.  And you might even look real good in a bikini afterwards...  But I wouldn't know.

I Know It Isn't Sunday, But...

I AM GOING TO DIE.  


It's true.  There was a bad omen in my french toast this morning.  I was just sitting there one minute enjoying some good french toast, and then I look down to cut off another piece and BOOM!  There the omen was.


You think I'm crazy?  Well, check it out for yourself!!

There it is, in the middle there.

If that doesn't look like an omen, I don't know what does.

It's a pity really, I was actually really enjoying this Christmas season.  Now it will be a miracle if I actually survive long enough to open all my presents.  Does anyone have any idea how much time I've got left?    

Stranger Danger.

I grew up in a small town called Raymond.

Raymond is home of the Comets, the first Stampede, and ... umm the Show Choir.  Raymond is so small that everyone knows everything about everybody.  Strangers don't exist in Raymond.  

Just like all mothers, Raymond Mothers teach their kids not to talk to strangers.  I think it's in the Mother Handbook, in like the Mandatory Rule section along with "don't sit too close to the TV" and "don't swallow your gum".  Anyways, when you grow up being warned about something that doesn't exist, it's always way scarier, like the monster under your bed or cooties for example.

Anyways, I eventually moved out into the world of strangers.  Fortunately, I had the ammo to combat all of them, such as the "no eye contact maneuver" and the "look distracted feint".  Ha!  Take that strangers!

Just a week ago though, I was jogging.  Downtown along Memorial Drive.  There are a lot of joggers there.  Anyways, I came to a stoplight and had to wait for it to turn green.  While I was waiting, the next jogger behind me caught up and we both started up again at the same time.... AT THE EXACT SAME PACE.  Uh oh.

As soon as it was made quite apparent that we were going to be together for awhile, my new found elderly gentleman jogging STRANGER turned to me and said hello.  Oh shiitake mushrooms.

"Hi."

"Have you ever tried snow skating before?"

What the?!  He wants to have an actual conversation while we're jogging!?

"No."

"Oh it's great exercise, my kids and I were out doing it last night, it's like ..."

He kept going.  

Thankfully, I eventually realized that I could either choose to make things really awkward while we were jogging, or I could open up and have an actual conversation; I chose number two.  And I'm glad I did, we ended up talking a bit about what I'm taking in school and he offered some priceless advice into somethings I should check out in regards to work.  Whoa!  Talking to a stranger was COOL!

However, since this one event, I've had a few more experiences where I realized that I'm lacking some serious skills when it comes to talking to strangers.  Talking to strangers is actually a very valuable skill, think about it.

• Being able to ask important questions in class to a teacher you barely know = talking to a stranger.
• Group work (oh how I loath thee) = talking to a stranger.
• Blind dates = talking to a stranger.
• Job interviews = talking to a stranger.
• Asking for or giving directions = talking to a stranger.
• Ordering food, banking, buying stuff = talking to a stranger.
• Missionary work = talking to a stranger.

No wonder I suck at all of these!  It's because I don't know how to talk to strangers!  

I hereby challenge myself, and anyone really, to practice your "stranger skills", and I don't mean practicing up on your weird talents like burping the alphabet backwards.  Make yourself make eye contact!  Make yourself smile at the people you walk past!  Simply say "Hello" and ask how someone is doing if you're going to be in the same vicinity for an extended period of time!  Make yourself start a conversation!  Make yourself extend a compliment!  Say "Merry Christmas" for heaven's sake!  Strangers are really just regular people like you and me, and they appreciate being treated nicely.  And sometimes, strangers in the strangest places end up not being strangers at all ;)

DISCLAIMER:

Obviously some strangers you should probably avoid.  Be nice, but keep your distance.  Unless of course you think being kidnapped from your bed and stuff sounds like fun.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's a Wonderful Life

I've always been more of an Ebenezer Scrooge when it comes to Christmas time. Take this picture for example, 3912 Christmas of '07.  Think you can guess which stocking is mine?

If you guessed the skinny black sock in the middle, you are CORRECT!

Now, don't be getting all mad at me for being Grinch Gibb, let me explain myself.  I didn't say, "I HATE CHRISTMAS!" (guess the movie... hehe), I'm merely saying there is very little that I thoroughly enjoy about the "most happiest time of the year", those being:

1.  celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ

2.  Fruitcake (P.S. I'm dead serious)

3.  the song O Holy Night

4.  and the movie It's A Wonderful Life

As for the rest, let's just say it frustrates me.  Don't you ever feel like the real meaning of Christmas has been taken hostage and held for ransom?  No one wants to pay that ransom, because the price is simply looking past your list of wants, realizing there's more to Christmas than extravagant gifts, and being grateful for the life someone lived.  

I don't mean to preach a Christmas sermon, but have you ever wondered what the world would be like if you or someone you know never existed?  Then you should watch "It's A Wonderful Life".  Every time I watch this movie I love it more.  It truly is timeless.  To realize how important a single life is, simply imagine the world without it.  No matter how small or simple a person is, they make a difference and truly live a "wonderful life".  Now imagine the awful hole the world would experience without the birth of the Saviour.  This is the true spirit of Christmas.

This Christmas, be grateful.  Realize the importance of a single life.  Then choose to live a similar one.  

And watch "It's A Wonderful Life".

Merry Christmas :)

Things I Wish I'd Known When I Graduated High School.

Once upon a time, I graduated from High School.  

For the commencement ceremonies, I got to wear a gold braid and yellow scarf that had some V-word written on it.  I'll admit it straight up, I thought I was a pretty big deal.  I thought I knew everything.  Unfortunately, I was completely oblivious in regards to some pretty important things.  Luckily, I figured those things out.  So now, only three years after high school, I am finally an incredibly big deal and I know everything.  Haha, Just kidding!  Please allow me to teach you what I didn't learn in the class room.

1.  HUNGRY WOLVES ARE EVERYWHERE AND I AM NOT FRESH MEAT.

Upon graduation, my cousin Jeff was courteous enough to inform me that Edmonton was full of savage wolves and I was, in fact, as good as a lamb to the slaughter.  In case you don't follow, these wolves took the shape of upstanding, side-parting return missionaries, or just any anxious LDS male, giddy to get to the temple with a girl; which makes the fresh meat they're after any young and fun, picture-perfect future wife.  Was I scared?  TERRIFIED.  In order to protect myself, I built a house of bricks and hid in it, because wolves can't blow brick houses down.

Well, I now know that hungry wolves exist everywhere and there are boy AND GIRL wolves.  Most people want to get married, some people just have a bigger appetite for it.  I also know now that I'm a lot more than a piece of fresh meat.  When it comes to getting married, I get to have a say, I won't just be hauled off to Cardston by some fearsome wolf.  In fact, I'm a wolf myself!  I'm just not a ravenous, desperately starving one.

2.  THINGS CHANGE, SO DON'T MAKE PLANS; SET GOALS.

If everything would have gone according to plan, I would be finished school and working in some hospital as a Respiratory Therapist.  And I would have been absolutely miserable.  Fortunately, I learned early on that it's perfectly fine to change your mind.  Instead of making concrete plans that leave little room for alteration, I now set goals.  Goals are flexible, easy to alter, leave room for other options, and still keep me pointed in the right direction.

3.  FLY BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS.

I used to be a Nazi.  Not a legit swastika bearing fascist, but an up-tight perfectionist.  It was bad.  Fortunately, I received a swift kick in the pants and have been flying ever since.  Life is too short to live with your panties in a knot.  We all know how uncomfortable a wedgie is, so do yourself a favor: pick it, you'll be a lot more fun, happier, and people will actually want to be your friend.  Some of the best things I've done thus far have been absolutely random and split second decisions, such as going to Peru for a month.  I guarantee when you take the chance and do something on a whim you will be creating a memory.  Most "Remember when..." stories originate from the unexpected.

4.  SCHOOL AND WORK DO NOT DEFINE ME.

In case you didn't know, I was an absolute nerd in High School.  In all honesty, it was partly because I associated a part of my self worth with my grades.  "A" meant Acceptable.  93% meant I was a 7% failure.  Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to sacrifice fun and games in order to protect who I was, studying came first! In picking a career and what to take in school, I had to choose something that would define me and I had to be the best.  Thank goodness that's not how it really works!  I now know that much more defines who I am: my testimony, my relationship with my family, my relationship with my friends, the service I give, my hobbies and interests, etc.

5.  LIFE IS NOT FAIR, IT'S TOO GOOD 

I picked up on this one in Peru, but it wasn't until an old friend stated it in these terms that I realized how true this is.  We're raised in a society that is constantly telling us how life is not fair, we grow up expecting the worst and are free to whine about how rough we've got it whenever the smallest thing goes wrong.  Don't fall for that!  Not only do you live in a house, it's six times the size of the houses I went into in Peru.  Not only do you have food, you get to have a meal three times more than the kids I fed in Peru.  Not only do you have clothes, they're clean and you probably have enough to wear something different everyday of the week.  Do yourself a huge favor and learn this lesson, realize that your life is not fair, it's really TOO GOOD!

6.  HIGH SCHOOL IS OVER, MOVE ON!

What unfortunately took me the longest time to learn is this.  For the longest time I couldn't get over how good things were "back in the day".  I was literally trapped in the past.  Take it from me, this is an awful, awful thing to do to yourself.  Don't let yourself stay behind and wrapped up in what's dead and gone.  Life is happening right here, right now, not back when things were a certain way.  You're setting yourself up for misery when you allow yourself to think that things were the best "back when...".  You have the power to make everyday the best, even better than "back when...".

That's what I've learned and I consider it more valuable than all the knowledge I gained in three years of High School!!  Have a good week!!

Peter Pan Syndrome

I have a raging case of Peter Pan Syndrome.  If you're confused as to what that means, maybe this quote will help you out:

"If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up!  Not me!" - Peter Pan

I love to play.  I play to prank.  I love to tell jokes.  I love to laugh.  I love to explore.  I love to have fun.  I love life.  And I'm not planning on changing this about myself anytime soon.  I plan to live a life like Thomas Edison, who said: "I never did a day's work in my life.  It was all fun."

So, I decided to put these feelings into a video MONTAGE!  I'm no iMovie expert, I'm just saying...  But feel free to watch and be a little jealous on how much fun I have.  The song used is a recent favorite:  "Good Life" by OneRepublic.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall...

"People want nothing but mirrors around them.  To reflect them while they're reflecting too ... Reflections of reflections and echoes of echoes.  No beginning and no end.  No center and no purpose." --- Dominque Francon from "The Fountainhead"

My most favorite item of home decor is hands down a big, beautiful mirror.  Besides adding a decorative touch, they aid in making the room seem brighter and more spacious.  I love mirrors.

My least favorite item of home decor is hands down a big, beautiful mirror.  Besides revealing and amplifying my blemishes and excess flesh, they aid in creating a society of self-conscious conformists.  I hate mirrors.

Mirrors really are a sweet catastrophe.  There is a good and evil to everything, is there not?

I will admit that for a while in my life, my highest highs and lowest lows were experienced staring into a mirror.  Although I am still not completely immune to negative reactions to my reflection, I have realized that mirrors do not reflect the most important part of yourself: your character.  However, I can confidently state that looking through the photoshopped pictures of a magazine and then at yourself in a mirror is hard on a girl! Is there really any surprise that this is a reality?

After beginning to resolve my own problems in the mirror and turning around to see the world, I have realized that the black hole of the reflection is everywhere.  It is called conformity.  It goes like this: you find a group of people you establish as equals and then you do everything in your power to dress like them, listen to the same music as them, and think the same thoughts as them.  Heaven forbid that you should stand out!!  With everyone doing everything in their power to imitate the reflection of their neighbor is there really any surprise that people suffer from depression?

Leave the mirror on the wall and let it do what it is good at, decorating a room.  Choose to stick it to the mirror, do exactly what it does not want you to do: be absolutely ecstatic with your reflection and then do everything in your power to be anything but a reflection.

"I don't wish to be the symbol of anything.  I'm only myself" ---Howard Roark from "The Fountainhead"

Do Yourself A Favor

I've decided it's time for me to share a very valuable lesson, something everyone needs to know if they want to survive or go anywhere.  Prepare yourself, this could very well change your entire outlook on life.

Oscar Wilde once said:

"Life is too important to be taken seriously."

And he's 100% right.

So, stop worrying about what others might be thinking about you and stop judging and criticizing yourself in the mirror.  It's just a humongous waste of time and energy that makes you feel pretty crappy in the end.  

Learn to love yourself enough that you can comfortably burst into hysterical laughter at the silly things you do, because that is what I did when I looked at myself in the mirror this morning.

Sponge rollers were a BAAAAAD idea....

GOAL!!!!

I live with my aunt and uncle and I love it.

Growing up, I was always excited to visit Rob and Marge way up in Calgary.  They always knew how to throw a party for us at the drop of a hat: ordering pizza, renting a movie, feeding us gumballs, and giving us rides in the Model T.

Now that I live with them, we still play hard, but we like to work hard too.  I have been appointed to the position of "Household Motivator".  My most recent contribution has been THE GOAL CHART:

Go ahead, point and laugh, but this elementary school sticker prize tactic WORKS!!!  

I've always been a habitual goal setter.  I'm an intrinsically motivated over achiever.  I'm proud to be a nerd.  Let me tell you why you should try to be one too.

Proverbs 25:28 - "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

According to the Lululemon "Goal-Tender": "Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce.  Mediocrity is as close to the bottom as it is to the top.  There is no manual for life.  Who you are, where you go, and how soon you get there is up to you.  Goal setting is a tool that helps you get what you want out of life.  It's that simple.  Just as there is no right way to live, there is no right way to determine your goals."

We are here to be HAPPY and nothing will make you more happy than the completion of something you set your mind to.  So go ahead, make plans to run that marathon next spring or simply challenge yourself to talk to a stranger or stop eating by 8 pm.

I highly suggest the Lululemon "Goal-Tender" or if you are feeling youthful, feel free to ask for the blueprints of the delightful Kristen Goal Chart.

NOW GO MAKE A GOAL!!

Things As They Really Are

Last week I went to a FIRESIDE.  This is a big step for Kristen Gibb.  I quit going to those a long time ago because I was so fed up with being told to get married.  I swear that is the only topic they ever, EVER talk about.  Anyways, I won't get into that.  


This fireside was GREAT!  President Carter from the South Stake was the speaker.  Wow, he is a funny old man.  He spoke to us on the top four temptations for LDS men and women.  Just in case you're interested, here they are:


TOP FOUR FOR GUYS:
4.  Being Lazy And Apathetic
3.  Forgetting Past Spiritual Experiences
2.  (? not sure on this one)  Needing To Be Told What To Do.
1.  Wasting Time And Money On Leisure


TOP FOUR FOR GIRLS:
4.  Criticizing Priesthood Leaders
3.  Living In Fantasy Worlds
2.  Gossiping
1.  Not Having Regular, Deep Scripture Study


President Carter was very entertaining in his delivery of each temptation.  The chapel erupted in laughter a few times, but none of those occasions were as loud as the time we laughed at his explanation for temptation number 3 for the women.


No idea what it means to "Live in a Fantasy World"?  Let me help you out.

I can hear you now, "EDWARD IS REAL KRISTEN!! SCREW YOU!!"

Definitely saw some girls I lifeguarded with this summer absolutely mesmerized by this series.

This ones even got it's own TV Series.  That makes it even more real right?

Have you guessed where this is going yet? 

SERIOUSLY LADIES?!?  ARE WE FOR REALS?????

Alright.  Let's not pretend that these books are being read because they're superior pieces of literature, because we all know that they're not.  They are an escape.  They are fantasy worlds.  They are places we run and hide in when things just aren't as peachy in the real world.  

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE READING, and I respect people who opt to read before other mind numbing forms of leisure.  But, when what you're reading gets in the way of the every day, gives you fantastic ideas about how relationships with the opposite sex should be like, and basically leaves you living a life of cognitive dissonance, what you're reading is crap and you have a problem.

Is your life a constant woeful let down in regards to guys?  It's probably because you need to stop looking for Edward or Jacob.  Although Stephanie Meyer has convinced you that being a grumpy and monotone zombie is all it takes to attract these wonderful specimens, things don't work that way.  Boys usually aren't attracted to girls who don't smile or seem completely void of personality.  Please girls, find (or realize and accept) your own real-life romantic counterpart, understand his follies and foibles, and realize that skin that sparkles and locomotive-like strength DO NOT EXIST.  Have you ever stopped and wondered what it would be like if the roles were reversed and the only thing every guy in the world could talk about was Bella Swan or some fictitious female?  You'd probably think he was retarded.  It's a miracle every guy hasn't given up on the female race.  

Step out of the book ladies and be the heroine.  Earn your own respect and praise by getting an A on a super hard midterm, complimenting someone you've been meaning to, or just being a remarkably virtuous woman.  Come back to the real world and do everything in your power to make your life something worth reading, because if you think about it, it will be pretty depressing when you're 90 and realize the highlights of your life were reading about someone else's life that didn't even exist.

Awake, Alive, Now.

This week I just plum didn't have the time to do anything adventurous.  Between studying for midterms, doing hours of job training, and writing a nice big paper for my marketing class, I barely had the time to even go on a quick jog!  But I'm not complaining!  Honest, this is just what we like to call a little antecedent action, or setting the stage if you will.

Something I did find the time to do around midnight last night was finish reading a book I started some time ago. 

Don't let the title psych you out, it was a phenomenal read!  The two best things I learned from it didn't even directly apply to that F-word you see either.  I'll share one of the best things right now.

In one chapter Geneen Roth wrote about receiving a letter from a woman who spoke about being unhappy with the stage of life she was in.  This lady mentioned feeling stuck in her current career being "No One in Particular", yet having to stay where she was in order to be "Going Places" to become "Someone Special".  In reply to the woman's pity-party letter, Geneen wrote:

"Even when you become Something because they were right, you really were Going Places - even when you arrive at being Someone because you are where you were going - your life may not be any better if you haven't learned to be awake, alive, now.  To take this moment for what it is.  It's just as easy to be miserable when you are Someone Special as when you are No One in Particular.  Because even Someone Special still has to live in her own skin and deal with boredom, rejection, loneliness, disappointment.  You might as well learn how to pay attention now.  How to inhabit the life you've chosen.  How to take up every inch of your skin.  Occupy the space in this body you were given.  It's your place.  Only yours." (Roth 61)

I'll admit it.  I'm guilty.  But not today, here, and now.  For the past two years, ever since I dropped out of school at NAIT, I lived looking forward.  I saw life as being when I finally got myself back into school and began my quest to a career, completely neglecting my day to day circumstances.  I was a nobody as long as I wasn't in school.  I was humiliated to answer questions with the statement,"No, actually I'm working."  Nothing I completed or accomplished really accounted for anything, because I wasn't in school.  I couldn't have been more wrong!

Although I didn't fully appreciate what I did back then, during the past two years, I do now.  How could I not be fulfilled and happy with doing the following?:

Being an EFY Counsellor,

Travelling to Peru,

Being a FHE Ma in London Road ward in Lethbridge,

Working in the Service Industry,

Being an EFY Counsellor AGAIN!,

Being seriously up to no good,

Having my Best Friend get married,

Being lucky enough to work and learn at an AMAZING job,

And making new, amazing friends along the way!

The grass right under your feet is green and if you would take a second to sit on it, lay on it, pick it, throw it at someone, and roll around in it, you would realize that it's exactly as green here as it is on the other side.

I've learned my lesson.  Don't let two years go by thinking that you aren't living because you aren't doing what you want to be doing.  And don't let time pass by uncherished because you're waiting for the ideal circumstances.  Life won't be better when you're dating someone, when you can afford a new car, when you're married, when you're done school (or finally in school!), when summer comes, when you weigh ten pounds less, when your complexion clears up, when you're out of debt.  It will be exactly how it is now.  So learn to love it.

Although I didn't get to do what I would have liked this week because I was weighed down by homework and work, I still loved it.  Do yourself a favor: be awake, be alive, and realize that life is right now.